It takes a county...Grandparents say taxpayers are responsible for baby

Talk about shifting responsibility, take a look at this case from a batch of ridiculous lawsuits uncovered by the Center for International Freedom in Washington:

Back in 2002, Adrian Howard and his girlfriend, Latonya Finney, were arrested on robbery charges in Crawford County, Ga. While they were in jail awaiting trial, Ms. Finney got pregnant.

Her parents are now suing the county for support of the child, which they are raising while Ms. Finney and Howard serve a prison term. Their lawsuit says that although Howard was the actual participant in the conception of the baby, the county is responsible.

The suit alleges that the sheriff of Crawford County allowed Howard and Ms. Finney a conjugal visit. He says he didn’t, and that Howard picked locks to make his way to the female side of the jail.

Already the taxpayers are subsidizing this rueful child’s grandparents to the tune of $1,741 a month. The grandparents say neither can get a job because they both have to stay home and keep the baby. If they win the suit, the taxpayers will lose again.

Law enforcement authorities get blamed for a lot of things, but this could be the first time a woman has blamed one of them for her pregnancy while admitting that someone else was the father of the baby.

Published in Editorials on December 10, 2004 11:26 AM